with friends like these, who needs republicans?

I don’t know who I am more pissed at, Maureen Dowd (in the greed hole) for trafficking in catty gossip rather than substantive issues (again), David Geffen for opening his yap to MoDo, or Hillary Clinton for challenging Obama to return Geffen’s money.

Rather than talking about Iraq, affordable healthcare, the trampling of the Constitution, or any other of the myriad mis-, mal-, or nonfeasances of the Bush Administration, the lead story on the news is about a nasty slap fight between two leading contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination. It not only makes the two Senators look un-presidential, it makes everyone immediately fall back on the old “politics as usual/it’s a filthy nasty swamp” meme, which turns people off—turns them off to listening to substantive debate, and discourages them from active participation in the process.

Yes, I mean it makes people stay home rather than vote.

Is that what you want Maureen? David? Hillary?

And, yes, I know that Barak Obama had to answer Senator Clinton’s challenge with some tough talk of his own. . . but I still wish he hadn’t dignified it with a response.